Flag holder



United States Patent Ofl ice 3,383,886 Patented May 18, 1965 messes FLAG HGLDER Merritt lL. Moflitt, In, 9 Weirwood Road, Radnor, Pa. Filed Nov. 29, 1963, Ser. No. 326,694 2 Claims. (6131. 116-473) The present invention relates generally to devices for securing flags to fiagstaffsand the like and more particularly to a non-fouling flag-holder adapted for attachment to a flagstalf, halyard, or other supporting means to secure the leading edge of the flag in a taut disposition spaced from the supporting means.

Conventional means for attaching flags to flagstaifs or halyards include snap hooks, rings, ties, and similar fastenings. Although in common use, such arrangements in general are not wholly satisfactory, a major shortcoming being the familiar fouling of the flag around the supporting staff or halyard. Such fouling not only presents an undignified appearance but in addition in high winds may cause damage to the flag. A further drawback of conventional fastening means is their failure to maintain a desirable taut condition of the leading edge of the flag, resulting in a sagging leading edge and a consequent deforming of the entire flag.

In view of the above characteristics of the prior arrangements, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a flag holder which holds the leading edge of the flag in a spaced disposition from the fiag supporting means in a manner providing a stiffening of the leading edge of the flag and thus improving the general appearance of the flag.

A further object is to provide a flag holder as described of a non-fouling character which is freely rotatable about the supporting means to accommodate changes in wind direction.

Another object of the invention is to provide a flag holder as described which holds the leading edge of the flag in alignment with the flag supporting means to direct the flag outwardly from the flag supporting means.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a flag holder as described which is of a simple, lightweight, inexpensive construction and which permits a ready attachment or removal of a flag therefrom.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description of an embodiment thereof when taken together with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a flag holder in accordance with the present invention showing a triangular flag mounted thereupon;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of the flag holder showing in broken lines the manner in which a flag is attached thereto;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a foreshortened sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3 showing specific details of the flag holder mounting arrangement;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view taken along line, 5-5 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one end of the flag holder showing the manner in which the flag securing elements coact in the flag securing position.

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a flagstaff 10 mounted on a support 12 by means of the screw fastened mounting fitting 14. At the upper end of the staff, a triangular flag or burgee 16 is secured tothe staff by means of the flag holder 18 embodying the present invention.

From the enlarged views of FIGS. 2-6 it will be apparent that the principal element of the flag holder is the wire fastener 20 which serves to hold the flag in spaced relation from the staff. The wire fastener 20 is formed from a single length of stiff wire and includes a vertical portion 28 adapted to extend between the grommets 22 and 24 of the flag to stretch the tabling of the flag into an extended and taut disposition. At both ends of the vertical portion the wire fastener is bent horizontally to form arm portions 39 which extend to the pivotal mounting means 32 on the fiagstaff 10. Each mounting means comprises a thimble 34 having an internal diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the staff, around which is wound the wire fastener, emerging therefrom in a substantially horizontal spring arm 36. The outer end of the spring arm is bent at substantially a right angle to form hook arm 38 which terminates in a hook 40 adapted to engage the horizontal arm 30. The wire fastener element coiled around the thimbles provides a spring effect such that the spring arms 36 are urged away from the arms 30, thereby securely fastening the hooks 40 in the flag-securing position.

The flag holder assembly consisting of the wire fastener and the thimbles, is freely pivotable about the flagstatf and is positioned and supported on the staff by the pressfitted stop member 42. Cap member 44 press-fitted to the upper end of the staff prevents the assembly from becoming upwardly displaced from the staff. The assembly is thus compactly contained on the staff and remains in the illustrated position whether or not a fiag is flown therefrom.

For mounting or removing a flag from the flag holder, the spring arms 36 are moved against the spring force toward the arms 30 to permit the hooks 40 to become disengaged. The spring arms then urge the hook arms and hooks away from the arms 36 so that the grommeted tabling of the flag may he slipped between the arms 30 and the hooks 40 with the hooks passing through the flag grommets.

The flag tabling 26 extends between the arms 30 and the spring arms 36 with the vertical portion 28 of the fastener extending along one face of the tabling as shown most clearly in FIG. 5. This arrangement insures that the leading edge of the flag will at all times be extending radially outwardly from the staff, spaced from the staff in an upright and taut condition. The holder effectively prevents the fouling of the flag, it being practically impossible for the flag to wrap around the staff in view of the freely pivotal fastener which as indicated maintains the flag in a substantially radial alignment with the staff.

Obvious variations in the manner in which the flag holder is supported include for example the use of the Wire fastener on a staff equipped with a halyard, eliminating, of course, the stop member 42. Such an arrangement provides all of the described advantages of the invention while permitting use of the invention at unreach able heights or locations. Similarly, the flag holder may be utilized without the support of a staff such as on a yardarm halyard wherein the wire fastener would ride on or be secured to the flexible halyard.

Manifestly, changes in details of construction can be effected by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined in and limited solely by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A flag holder assembly for attaching a flag having spaced grommets in the leading edge thereof to a flag supporting means, comprising, a wire fastener formed from a single wire element extending in parallel relation along the leadingedge of the flag between the spaced grommets, said fastener element proximate each grommet extending substantially perpendicular to and away from the leading edge of the flag to form a first set of parallel arms, the wire element at the outer end of each said arm being wound in a cylindrical coil to provide an attachment means for said flag supporting means, the wire element extending inwardly from each said coil forming a second set of arms substantially parallel with said first set of arms, and hooks on the inner ends of said second set of arms adapted to pass through the grommets and coact with the first set of arms to secure the leading edge of the flag in a taut disposition along said fastener spaced from the flag supporting means, the cylindrical coils providing a spring-biasing eifect on said second set of arms thereby securing said hooks in engagement with said first set of arms.

2. A flag holder assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said flag supporting means comprises a flagstaif, said cylindrical coils of said wire fastener element overlying said flagstafi in coaxial rotatable relation therewith, and

means on said flagstafi for securing said coils against axial movement along said flagstaff while permitting free rotation thereof.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 842,693 1/07 Patterson 116-173 1,069,776 8/13 'Foulis 116-174 1,119,147 12/14 Fillmore 116-174 1,236,417 8/17 Finn 116-174 1,306,915 6/19 Klamroth 116-174 2,342,017 2/44 Shepherd 116-173 2,799,240 7/57 Andrews 116-174 LOUIS I. CAPOZI, Primary Examiner. 

1. A FLAG HOLDER ASSEMBLY FOR ATTACHING A FLAG HAVING SPACED GROMMETS IN THE LEADING EDGE THEREOF TO A FLAG SUPPORTING MEANS, COMPRISING, A WIRE FASTENER FORMED FROM A SINGLE WIRE ELEMENT EXTENDING IN PARALLEL RELATION ALONG THE LEADING EDGE OF THE FLAG BETWEEN THE SPACED GROMMETS, SAID FASTENER ELEMENT PROXIMATE EACH GROMMET EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO AND AWAY FROM THE LEADING EDGE OF THE FLAG TO FORM A FIRST SET OF PARALLEL ARMS, THE WIRE ELEMENT AT THE OUTER END END OF EACH SAID ARM BEING WOUND IN A CYLINDRICAL COIL TO PROVIDE AN ATTACHMENT MEANS FOR SAID FLAG SUPPORTING MEANS, THE WIRE ELEMENT EXTENDING INWARDLY FROM EACH SAID COIL FORMING A SECOND SET OF ARM SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WITH SAID FIRST SAID SET OF ARMS, AND HOOKS ON THE INNER ENDS OF SAID SECOND SET OF ARMS ADAPTED TO PASS THROUGH THE GROMMETS AND COACT WITH THE FIRST SET OF ARMS TO SECURE THE LEADING EDGE OF THE FLAG IN A TAUT DISPOSITION ALONG SAID FASTENER SPACED FROM THE FLAG SUPPORTING MEANS, THE CYLINDRICAL COILS PROVIDING A SPRING-BIASING EFFECT ON SAID SECOND SET OF ARMS THEREBY SECURING SAID HOOKS IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID FIRST SET OF ARMS. 